Do you want to be part of the conversation and do you have a compelling hot topic, a forward-looking initiative or a recent industry use case to share? BAFT is soliciting session proposals for the BAFT Europe Forum which is taking place from March 3 – 5, 2026 in London. Session proposals are due by 10 November 2025.
The BAFT Europe Forum is specifically designed for Transaction Banking practitioners and others involved in the Trade and Payments industry. The focus is on education and thought leadership around the key issues impacting Transaction Banking.
Proposal Guidelines
We welcome all session proposals that you consider relevant to the European Transaction banking industry.
- You can submit proposals for either the plenary sessions and/or for the collaborative/workshop sessions.
- All sessions should be between 20 – 40 minutes in length, depending on format.
- Panel sessions should not have more than 3 panelists.
- Panels should not have more than one representative from each institution.
- Thought leadership and forward-looking type session proposals are encouraged. Proposals with intent or perceived to sell a specific product or service will not be accepted.
- We encourage a diverse group of speakers – expertise, institution/company, regional representation, etc. for sessions.
- Speakers must be available to participate in-person.
- BAFT does not pay speaker fees or any speaker travel related expenses.
Conference Topics and Themes
Below are some suggested plenary and collaborative/workshop topics and themes which we hope to cover during the conference.
Plenary sessions are more strategic and high-level discussion on specific topics. Collaborative/workshop sessions are in-depth discussions on a particular topic, a use case, or educational thought leadership sessions.
Payments
- Instant Payment Regulation implementation: Success or chaos? A discussion on impact of instant payments on Intraday (weekend) liquidity management.
- Innovation in cross border payments: looking at new ways to facilitate lower value payments through Automated Clearing Houses, direct to scheme, digital wallets incl Wero and tokenization.
- Digital Assets and Stablecoins – how will Europe progress? – Digital Euro, Stablecoins or tokenized deposits? Are there successful use cases emerging (recent launch of European MiCAR-compliant euro-denominated stablecoin with 9 banks currently as members).
- Will DLT technologies emerge (SWIFT announcement at SIBOS) as viable rails for payments processing?
- Payment regulation – progress or delivering fragmentation?
- An update on Europe’s sovereignty challenge in payments. How are different regulators across Europe addressing this and does it deliver better outcomes or more fragmentation? Could include EPI/EuroPA progress as well as the UK’s National Payments Vision
- Bridging Borders: Unlocking the Power of One Leg Out (OLO) Instant Payments. A discussion on strategy, operational challenges, opportunities and innovation.
Trade Finance
- Interoperability in Trade Finance: Standards, APIs, and the Digital Shift
An update on the progress of interoperability initiatives such as the Digital Standards Initiative (DSI), API standardization, and cross-platform integration.
- From Generative AI to Digital Assets: The Future of Trade Finance Digitalization
Exploring how emerging technologies — including generative AI, stablecoins, and digital assets — can reshape trade finance, reduce costs, digitize and enhance accessibility for all stakeholders.
- ESG & Trade Finance: Principles, Practices, and the Road Ahead
A collaborative discussion on how sustainability principles are being applied in trade finance, including practical use cases, regulatory developments, and future opportunities.
- ISO 20022 Migration in Trade Finance: Preparing for the 2026 SWIFT Release
- A technical and strategic overview of the upcoming ISO 20022 message types (“4xx” and “7xx”) for trade finance, and their implications for banks, corporates, and technology providers.
Sanctions, Fraud and AML
- Update on sanctions landscape and issues
- How to prepare for AMLR (due mid 2027 – time to prepare)
Regulation
- The fragmentation of regulation and its impact on the provision of transaction banking services across Europe
Cyber Security /Civil Defense/Resilience
- Homing in on sector readiness and what needs to be done by whom and collaboration areas (banks vs private/public sector)
- The intersection of defense industry transactions and their ESG linkages. How financial institutions position themselves to support this growing sector, and whether we have identified any potential roadblocks or noteworthy observations, remain key areas of interest.
Technology
- Innovation topics – what are the interesting new areas to exhibit and showcase?
- Quantum Technology – progress on encryption technology? Are banks safe? What are reasonable use cases?
Proposals will be reviewed by the BAFT Europe Council. Session and/or speaker proposals could be tweaked by the program steering committee to fit the conference program. Submitters of selected proposals will be contacted no later than the end of November 2025.
We appreciate your time and effort in submitting your ideas!
